Hans Jansen facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Hans Jansen
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Hans Jansen in 2003
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| Member of the European Parliament | |
| In office 1 July 2014 – 5 May 2015 |
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| Constituency | Netherlands |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Johannes Juliaan Gijsbert Jansen
17 November 1942 Amsterdam, Netherlands |
| Died | 5 May 2015 (aged 72) Amsterdam, Netherlands |
| Political party | Party for Freedom |
| Children | 3 children |
| Alma mater | University of Amsterdam (Master of Letters) Leiden University (Doctor of Letters) |
| Occupation | Politician Author Columnist Linguist Teacher Professor |
Johannes Juliaan Gijsbert "Hans" Jansen (born November 17, 1942 – died May 5, 2015) was a Dutch politician, a scholar who studied modern Islam, and an author.
Hans Jansen was part of a group of scholars called "revisionists" in Islamic studies. These scholars questioned the historical accuracy of early Islamic stories. These stories were written 150 to 200 years after the time of Muhammad. Jansen even doubted if Muhammad, the founder of Islam, existed as a real historical person.
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Hans Jansen's Early Life and Career
Hans Jansen's parents were very strict Calvinists. When he was 17, Jansen started studying theology at the University of Amsterdam. After one year, he changed his studies to Arabic and Semitic languages.
In 1966, he spent a year in Cairo to learn Arabic. He then continued his studies at Leiden University. He earned his Ph.D. there in 1974.
Teaching and Research Positions
Jansen taught at several universities, including Groningen, Leiden, and Amsterdam. He was also the director of the Dutch Research Institute in Cairo. Later, he became an associate professor at Leiden University. From 2003 to 2008, he was a professor of Modern Islamic Thought at Utrecht University.
Personal Life and Beliefs
In 1988, Jansen converted to Catholicism. He later mentioned that he also thought about converting to Islam. He described Islam as having "a very attractive and powerful culture, a high culture, great beauty."
Jansen was married twice. He had three children with his second wife. One of his sons is a performer. Hans Jansen passed away at the age of 72 due to a cerebral infarction, which is a type of stroke.
Hans Jansen's Political Involvement
When he was a university student, Jansen was part of a left-leaning group. He even left a room in protest if someone mentioned the word "Israel." His views on Islam changed significantly after the assassination of Egyptian president Anwar Sadat in 1981. Some of his friends were there when it happened.
Jansen was a friend to Ayaan Hirsi Ali and Theo van Gogh. He often wrote newspaper articles, gave interviews, and appeared on talk shows. In these, he shared his criticisms of Islam and how politicians dealt with it. He also took part in international conferences in Brussels in 2007 and 2012.
In 2008, he advised Geert Wilders on his movie Fitna, which was critical of Islam. In 2010, Jansen was an important witness in a court case involving Geert Wilders.
In the 2014 European Parliament election, Jansen was elected as a MEP. He represented Wilders' Party for Freedom.
Hans Jansen's Research and Ideas
Hans Jansen was part of the "revisionist" or historical-critical group in Islamic studies. He strongly questioned whether the traditional stories about the start of Islam were truly historical. These stories were written 150 to 200 years after the events they describe.
In his main book, De Historische Mohammed (which is not available in English), Jansen looked closely at the descriptions in the prophet's biography by Ibn Ishaq and Ibn Hisham. This biography is a very important text in traditional Islam. Jansen showed why many of these descriptions might not be true. He pointed out parts that didn't make sense, or that seemed to be changed by later writers. He also noted how some stories might have been created for political or religious reasons.
Questioning Historical Accounts
Jansen argued that many Islamic traditions were created long after Muhammad's time. They were often based on guesses about why a certain verse in the Quran was revealed. He believed that these historically questionable traditions then limited how the Quran could be understood.
In the end of his book, Jansen concluded that Muhammad might not have existed as a real historical person. This idea is held by only a small number of scholars within the "revisionist" group. His book De Historische Mohammed received positive reviews from some scholars.
